Dower takes up key role at FFA

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FFA have announced Junior Matildas coach Rae Dower has extended her contract and will also assume the role of Women’s Technical Advisor.

Dower’s contract will run till the end of 2022, after leading the Junior Matildas since 2017.

In her new position, Dower will work closely with FFA’s interim Technical Director, Trever Morgan, to help nurture the next generation of female footballers in the country.

FFA CEO James Johnson said in a statement: “Rae’s knowledge of and passion for women’s football in Australia is undeniable, and with her strong network and connections in the sport we’re confident she will help us make improvements to the women’s pathway,” he said.

“Women’s Football is central to the future growth and development of Australian football and we are proud to be creating an environment which is supportive of women entering senior administrative roles in football. Rae’s continuation as Westfield Junior Matildas Head Coach, in addition to her expanded scope as Women’s Technical Advisor, is a step we are taking directly in pursuit of the key measures proposed in Principle Ten of the XI Principles for the future of Australian football.

“As a former player, Westfield W-League Head Coach, and an experienced Coach Educator, Rae is well equipped to help FFA develop its women’s and girls’ competition structures, talent identification processes, and through her advocacy and advice, help the game grow its female player pool.”

Dower claimed she was looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“This new dual role with FFA provides me with a great platform to continue to contribute to Australia’s female player pathway and processes and provide advice to Trevor (Morgan) and James (Johnson) regarding possible improvements we can make with the ultimate aim of fulfilling the vision outlined in the XI Principles,” she said in a statement.

“It’s a truly exciting time to be involved in women’s football in Australia and globally, with rapid growth in many areas of the sport currently being witnessed. Young girls and women have never had a better opportunity to develop a career in football, but there is much more that can be done to ensure our best young talents have every chance possible to progress from their grassroots club to the Westfield W-League and Westfield Matildas.”

 

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

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